Boston's Own Doug Tuttle Wows Us With His New Album

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It takes a special kind of person to appreciate jam bands, and I’ll admit, I’m not one of those special people. I can get down to the Disco Biscuits just like the next girl, but it isn’t what I instinctively press play on when I reach for my iPod. With that said, the concept of free-flowing expression that is integral to jam bands is something I respect, which is exactly why I love Doug Tuttle’s new self-titled debut album.

Don’t get me wrong; Tuttle’s new solo project (he was previously in the band MMOSS before they broke up) isn’t a jam band in the strict sense of the term. However, each track on the album does seem to stem from the genre’s distinct style before morphing into a down tempo indie rock tune.

The resulting sound is definitely interesting, to say the least. There’s no question of whether or not Tuttle’s music is a product of the 21st century, thanks to the various effects and impeccable mixing throughout the album. But beneath it all lays a certain sense of nostalgia that brings the listener back into a dream world of sorts. No doubt a product of his hazy vocals, drifting melodies, and a soft, tinkering percussion section, Tuttle successfully creates an impeccable balance of old and new. He so perfectly manages to extract the creative essence of the jam band and transpose it onto a different genre, thus creating a unique and distinctive sound.

Tuttle, who is a Boston-based musician, will be launching his album officially tonight at the Middlesex Lounge in Cambridge and with a cover charge of only eight dollars, there’s nothing stopping you from enjoying a fun Tuesday night filled with plenty of good music. If you can’t make it out to the show though, at least you can download his album, which is out now on Trouble In Mind Records.